This invention relates generally to eyewear. More particularly, this invention relates both to plano (that is non corrective or zero power) and prescription eyewear for use in safety and recreational applications (i.e., sports and/or hostile environments) with adjustable strap temples which optionally permit the secure attachment of other safety equipment such as ear muffs or head phones.
Protective eyewear, both prescription and plano (that is non corrective or zero power) is available in the market place for both safety and recreational (i.e., sports) applications. Such eyewear is exemplified in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/641,901 filed May 2, 1996, which is assigned to the assignee hereof, all of the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. This eyewear comprises a pair of spectacles which includes a lens attached to a pair of temples. The lens has a surface which is created by rotating an aspheric shape about an axis which is offset from an axis of the aspheric shape. Preferably, the aspheric shape is an ellipse and more preferably the resultant lens will have a cross-section in the horizontal meridian which is a segment of an ellipse and a cross-section in the vertical meridian which is a segment of a circle. This lens exhibits a high degree of wrap and so provides extensive protection without the need for side shields.
Of course, many other prior art protective eyewear is known, all of the eyewear generally utilizing a pair of rigid or semi-rigid temples which extend outwardly from the lenses or a lens frame. Examples of other protective spectacles of this type include U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,867,550; 4,741,611; 4,674,851; 4,859,048; 5,381,192 and 5,032,017, all of the contents of these patents being incorporated herein by reference.
One perceived problem not addressed by the prior art is that the prior art protective spectacles do not sufficiently protect the eyes from particulates that exist in dusty, dirty work environments. This dusty and dirty problem is also present for some sport environments. Currently, it is known that most common eye injuries in the industrial workplace are a result of these aforementioned particulates entering the area immediately adjacent to the eye. Therefore, there is a perceived need to develop eyewear that will keep particulate matter away from the eye. Additionally, in hostile environments, there is often a need to wear safety eyewear in conjunction with other safety equipment such as noise suppression ear muffs or communication head phones without disrupting the particulate seal of the eyewear or the seal of the other safety device or devices. Therefore, there is an additionally perceived need for a method of attachment of the eyewear to other safety gear without affecting the seals of the individual safety items as is presently unavoidable with prior art temples associated with prior art safety and protective spectacles.
The above-discussed and other problems and deficiencies of the prior art are overcome or alleviated by the novel protective eyewear with adjustable strap of the present invention. In accordance with the present invention, safety eyewear is provided with (1) a flange of resilient material (i.e., foam) for sealing about the periphery of the lenses of the eyewear (either prescription or plano) and (2) a novel temple and adjustable strap assembly so that the safety eyewear can be attached securely to a person""s head and/or attached to other safety gear such as noise suppression ear muffs or head phones without breaking the seal of the eyewear or other safety equipment as can happen with conventional eyewear temples. The adjustable strap assembly in accordance with this invention assures an unbroken seal against particulates, noise leakage or signal loss. Additionally, the end piece of this temple provides pantoscopic angle adjustment for better fit.
The above-discussed and other features and advantages of the present invention will be appreciated and understood by those skilled in the art from the following detailed description and drawings.